PEANUT BUTTER ON YOUR HEAD
Go ahead line five.
Help me, please. My daughter has a great was of bubble gum stuck in her hair.
Have you tried peanut butter? I asked.
There was silence at the end of the line. I could imagine her silently mouthing the words, He's nuts. That may well be true, but I'm not crazy when I tell you that peanut butter works like magic for removing gum from children's hair. As a matter of fact, peanut butter will work for removing the sticky residue left by masking tape or cellophane tape, in addition to cleaning out bubble gum and chewing gum from children's hair and pets' fur.
The biggest drawback with peanut butter is that it can get a little messy. There are a lot of solids in the peanut butter that do you no good. It is the oil in the peanut butter that actually lets you dissolve the gum. And you could get the same results with lest fuss by using straight cooking oil, whether it be corn, safflower, olive, palm, or peanut oil. Even mineral oil will give you the same result. But if all you have handy is peanut butter, and if Johnny or Sally has a big glob of gum stuck in his or her hair, merely rub the afflicted area with a generous dollop of peanut butter. Crunchy or smooth makes no difference.
Work the peanut butter into the gum with your fingers until you feel the gum beginning to ball or pin. When it starts to feel that the gum is loosening its grip from the hair, use an old comb to pull the gum away from the hair.
Finally, shampoo to remove the excess oil-and-peanut residue from the hair.
Should you find a leftover was of gum parked underneath a table, or stuck to your carpeting ( as long as it hasn't been ground in), place a couple of ice cubes in a small plastic bag and apply the ice pack to the gum. Give it a few minutes to harden, and you should then be able to lift it away easily.
The technique is useful for cleaning candlewax from your table, tablecloth, clothing, or carpet.
If you want to prevent candles from being too drippy, put them into the freezer for two hours before lighting them. They will burn more efficiently and will tend not to drip as much.
Before we get too far away from peanut butter, though, I want to throw a quick peanut butter recipe at you. It is for simple but delicious peanut butter sauce to serve with lamb, chicken, or pork, either roast or grilled kabobs. Many people think these exotic sauces are expensive and difficult to make, but nothing could be further from the truth. You probably have all the necessary ingredients in your kitchen cupboards right now.
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1 1/2 tablespoons prepared mustard (ordinary or fancy)
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and store in a tight sealed glass jar. This recipe makes a large quantity, but it will keep in your refrigerator for quite a while. This simple-to -prepare but exotic-tasting peanut sauce is an Indonesian recipe, ideal for lamb, chicken, and pork.
Peanut butter is not the only food product which can double as a cleaning tool. That same mayonnaise that gives a lift to your sandwiches, burgers, and salads can also be used to remove those sticky labels and price tags from glassware, mirrors, and new plate-glass windows.
I first learned about mayonnaise as a cleaner when a listener called in for help cleaning her bathtub. She had rented an apartment where the previous tenant has stuck those ghastly rubberized, non-skid, flower shaped decals all over the inside of the bathtub. My caller could not figure how to remove the decals without scratching the tub. |
